2024 Bond

Overcrowding at Hanford and Richland high schools, as well as anticipated growth within the Richland School District, has shown the need for a new comprehensive high school.

Both Hanford and Richland High Schools are operating over capacity. Hanford was designed to accommodate 1,600 students, but the current enrollment is nearly 2,000. Richland was designed for 1,800 students but now has close to 2,300 enrolled.

Overcrowded schools can impact student learning and wellbeing.¹ This can lead to...

• Greater noise and distractions²
• More wear and tear on buildings³
• Increase in disciplinary problems²
• Less personalized instruction²
• Increase in illness risk³

New High School Specs

The new 260,000-square-foot high school will accommodate 1,600 students. Features will include space for Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms and programs, 700-800 seat auditorium, artificial turf athletic field with seating for 2,000 and more.

The new high school would be located in West Richland near the district's Teaching, Learning and Administration Center (TLAC) and Leona Libby Middle School.

River's Edge High School is one of the district's oldest buildings. The proposed bond will fund the construction of a new 40,000-square-foot "innovative learning center" to replace River's Edge High School, utilizing the current land the campus resides on. The school will be built to accommodate 300 students.

The Hanford High School athletic stadium improvements would include new grandstands opposite of the current grandstands, locker rooms, training and storage rooms, concessions, public restrooms, and ticket booth.

This Scene Shop addition for the drama department would consist of a shop area with loft storage and an outdoor covered work area, connecting to the high school’s existing corridor.

An addition of multi-purpose practice room near the gymnasium at Richland High School would be utilized for Physical Education classes, as well as extra-curricular programs like wrestling, cheer, and dance.

Richland School District's Transportation Department has outgrown the land it sits on at the corner of Lee and Thayer in Richland. The proposed bond package for the Transportation Cooperative would fund the building of a larger bus parking lot, mechanics bays and shop, dispatch offices and more in West Richland.

The 2024 Bond will consolidate the remaining amount from the Capital Projects levy (passed in February 2023), which funded safety and security upgrades to the district's oldest buildings. The cancellation of the Capital Projects debt reduces the amount of taxes collected from the community.

Additional smaller projects to be funded by the proposed bond include new tennis courts at Richland and Hanford High schools, replacing running tracks at several middle schools, renovating the second floor and parking facilities at Chief Joseph Middle School, purchasing land for future construction and more.

Levies and bonds are both voter-approved measures that can be used to pay for needs not covered by a school district's typical state funding.

• Levies can be used to enrich district programs and operations beyond state funding. This can include paying for staffing costs, equipment, and arts and athletics programs. Levies may also be used to pay for modifications and renovations to facilities and design and development of future school district construction projects. Levies must be approved by a simple majority of voters to be implemented for between 1 to 6 years.
• Bonds may pay for construction of new schools and district facilities. They must be approved by a super majority (60 percent) of voters and are implemented for between 20 to 30 years.

There are several reasons why some of the districts older schools such as Chief Joseph and Carmichael middle schools aren't included on this bond.

1. Building Age Eligibility: Once a building reaches 30-years, it is eligible to receive state matching funds again. This is when the square footage of these buildings become unimproved space and can be. Chief Joseph will be age eligible for state matching funds in 2026 and Carmichael in 2031.
2. Number of "Unhoused" Students: RSD's newer elementary schools and the construction of Leona Libby Middle School helped alleviate crowding in K-8 schools. The district now has to wait for the student enrollment to grow to a point that K-8 schools are over capacity to create additional state funding.

When state funding becomes available it can cover up to 50% of the project cost, as seen historically in other school construction. The funding provided by the state reduces the cost to local taxpayers, while also allowing more projects to be included in a bond package.

The Long-Range Planning Committee, along with the School Board, has been planning for the bond since 2020. Planning was halted during the pandemic but resumed late 2021-22. Learn more about the bond timeline by clicking the link below.

Bond Planning

State lawmakers raised state property taxes and limited local levy authority in an effort to fully fund basic education. Despite that swap in funding support, state dollars only cover basic education. The coverage does not include athletics and creative and performing arts, and frequently falls short of funding special education services.

Yes, but the funding does not cover the actual costs of operating a school district. The Washington State Supreme Court decision on the McCleary lawsuit resulted in public school districts seeing a net funding increase in 2018. Even though the state increased the amount of funding it was providing to school districts, it also capped the amount of funding school districts can raise from local levies. The Legislature also applied restrictions to how funding can be used. For local school districts, this means that levies have been significantly impacted, causing widespread confusion in communities across the state.

Yes! There is assistance for low-income households. District residents should contact the Benton County Assessor’s Office about their eligibility for a property tax exemption or deferral.